Happily Ever After
by Memento vivere Memento mori
Summary: It's hard to live a Happily Ever After when you knight in shining armor has already sailed off into the sunset forever, but Annie tries. She tries because she wants to be there for her little boy, and because she wants to prove that she's strong. Maybe that's why the universe rewarded her.
1. Chapter 1

It all started ten years ago. He had come back from his games, so utterly alone, that he even took comfort in a little 12 year old nerd. Me. Since then we both grew up. We played together, suffered together, and most importantly, loved each other. My name is Annie Cresta and this is the story of how I tried to pick up the pieces after I lost everything.

"Come on mommy, I wanna play in the ocean," screeches Caelum from outside our cottage. With a sigh, I drop my books, and race out. Caelum looks so much like his father that it's painful at times. Whenever I see him, it's like a shot to the heart. But I love him. Caelum's the only part of Finnick I have left.

"Why don't we visit Johanna first?" I suggest gently, bending down, and grabbing Caelum's hand.

"Yay! I love Aunt Jo," Caelum exclaims as he begins running. Although only 2, Caelum's athletic, his short stubby legs pulling him along with such speed that I already have trouble keeping up.

As we run down the beach, I flash back to Finnick. Caelum notices and stops, grabbing my hand, and whispering, "It's okay Mommy."

I feel bad that Caelum has to take care of me at times, but according to Johanna, I've already improved greatly. Johanna says that I'm a wonderful mother, and Finnick would be proud of me. I hope she's right.

After another moment, I come to. Looking at Caelum sheepishly, I say, "Sorry Cae. I ready to keep going now."

The way that Caelum nods makes me feel a twinge of guilt. He's so used to me spacing out, that it has become commonplace to stop and help me.

After running for another few minutes, we finally reach Johanna's home. It's a small house, even smaller than the one that Finnick built for me and Caelum all those years ago, but it's still perfect.

"Aunt Jo!" Caelum basically yells from the beach, as he runs up to her door, throwing it open, and running into the house. I hear a commotion before seeing a disheveled Johanna emerge with Caelum clutching her hand.

"You should teach this boy how to knock," Johanna scolds me, but I can see a happiness in her eyes. A light I had rarely seen before the revolution. Johanna was one of the people that still reminded me that something good might have come out of Finnick's death.

"Hi Johanna," I reply, ignoring her previous comment, "Caelum has been bugging me to go swimming. And you know how I've been with water since that flood."

"Because I'm so much better," Johanna laughs as she leads Caelum to the water. Neither of us will go in past our knees since everything we've been through, but Caelum understands. He doesn't pull us further, just splashes and plays, occasionally coming back to show us a crab that he has found.

After a good hour of splashing and playing, Caelum is finally worn out. Retreating back to Johanna's house, I feed Caelum a small supper, then put him to bed on Johanna's couch. Johanna only has one bedroom in this place, and she never lets Caelum in. Something about it being a mess, but I know that's not true. It has to do with a certain friend of Katniss who live in District 2. But I don't push for details. We all have our secrets.

"So," Johanna says as I sit down at the table, "How've you been doing."

"Not good," I respond, "I've been spacing out more and more. I just miss Finnick so much. The awful thing is I no longer remember the exact way that he would laugh. The exact shade of his eyes. It's like I'm forgetting him."

Johanna nods quietly, but doesn't say anything. I know she knows how I feel. Her fiancé from District 7 all those years ago was killed because Johanna refused to be Snow's pawn. Everyone she loved was killed. Whenever I think of Johanna's past, I feel an overwhelming sense of guilt to Finnick. He did awful things to keep me safe. And he never doubted his decisions for a moment.

"Earth to Annie," I hear Johanna chuckle. I know I must have been spacing out again, but I don't say anything. I know that if I open my mouth, I'll start crying. I can't cry. I promised I'd me strong for Caelum. I think Johanna notices that I'm on the verge of tears because she pulls me into her arms and comforts me. Just how Finnick used to. I know that I'll never find another Finnick in my lifetime, but I have Johanna and I have Caelum. So maybe everything will work out fine.


	2. Chapter 2

I wake up on Johanna's couch with little recollection of the previous night. Caelum in my arms, but Johanna nowhere to be seen. With a shake of my head, I walk back to Johanna's room which I find to be empty. Strange. Going outside, I knock on Johanna's neighbor's door. A moment later, a teenage girl opens the door.

"Annie Cresta," the girl says, "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"Hi, actually it's Annie Odair" I say softly, "Do you know where Johanna is?"

The girl nods slowly, clearly confused, but says, "She went to the square. Something about a train from the Capitol. Half of District 4 is there."

"What could be in that train?" I mutter, mostly to myself, before asking, "Could you watch my boy Caelum while I go check it out? I'll pay you."

The girl nods and says, "Of course I can, no charge."

So with an appreciative smile, I find myself running to the central square in nothing but a nightgown.

The girl was right, the square was completely packed, everyone surrounding whatever or whoever was on the train. As I push my way through the crowd, I notice people start to move out of my way. How strange. But not as strange as the person that I saw walking towards me.

"Finnick," I say, but my voice sounds foreign. The man in front of me looks exactly how he always did. Skin completely unblemished, hair perfectly combed. The only sign that he was ever in a war was his slight limp. At first I'm giddy with excitement, but then I realize. He's probably just a dream. All the people surrounding us start to turn into tributes. I see them hack off Finnick's head and I scream. I scream and kick and thrash until I feel Johanna grab me.

"Finnick, real or not real?" I moan to her, and her answer probably changed my life.

"Real."

I woke up a few hours later with a massive headache, but a perfect recollection of what just happened. Opening my eyes, I realize that I've been carried back to my home. And at the kitchen table, I see Caelum. But what excites me most is the person holding Caelum.

"Go to Johanna's house," I hear the man mutter, and I see Caelum run out of the room.

Now it's just me and the man. I reach out, as if afraid to touch him. I see him walk towards me, saying, "Annie it's really me."

The moment I make contact with him, I know it's true. I never touched him in my dreams, and he never looked, felt, and sounded so real.

Immediately, I lean in and kiss him. I kiss him with so much passion, as if to make up for the three years he had been gone. But he had been gone for three years! Suddenly, with a surge of anger, I pull back and slap him.

"Why the hell did you leave me and not come back you were dead!" I scream, but he grabs my hand softly, and tells me his story:

"I'm sorry Annie. I'm so so so sorry for everything I put you through. I was as good as dead when the lizard mutts attacked me. They almost tore off my head when I remember everything going black. I woke in a capitol hospital, with no recollection of anything. Anything but you. The doctors couldn't even recognize me. I was just the badly injured guy that went crazy. My memories came back slowly. I would have nightmares about the mutts, about District 13, but thinking about you was the only thing that kept me sane. When I was going crazy, I just thought of you. Annie. I didn't even really know who you were, just that I loved you.

Now just a few weeks ago, I met Haymitch in the hospital. He heard rumors of a crazy guy talking about a girl named Annie. The moment I saw him, I remembered. I remembered District 4, the rebellion, and most importantly that you were real. That you were waiting for me. So I hopped on the next train to District 4 and found you."

By the time he finishes the story, I am crying. Crying and confused. "How could nobody recognize you?" I sob, grabbing Finnick like a lifeline.

"Look at me. Look at my scars. I'm no longer the perfect pretty boy I once was," he explains gently. I look at Finnick once again, and this time I see it. Sure there are scars snow flaked across his skin, but he's still Finnick. My beautiful and perfect husband.

Suddenly we're making out again. I've missed this for years and years, but now he's back. Suddenly the last few years don't seem to matter. It's just me and Finnick and it'll always be.

Our moment is broken when somewhere outside, Johanna calls, "Odairs, your kid is crying and I hate crying kids."

With a sigh, we break apart, but I still clutch his hand. A hand that I will never let go again.

As we walk out, Finnick and I exchange the playful banter that I have so missed these last few years. I tell him all about his son (though he already heard much of it from Johanna while I was unconscious) and he tells me how much he loves me.

Our conversation is cut short by a very wet Caelum jumping up into my arms, exclaiming, "Yay! You met daddy too!"

"She's done more than meet daddy," Johanna says suggestively, earning a jab from me, and a laugh from Finnick.

"Mommy's told me all about you," Caelum continues, "But I thought you weren't going to come back."

"Change of plans," Finnick laughs, grabbing Caelum from my arms, and throwing him into the water. For the first time, I follow. Not just up to my knees, but all the way in. Now that I have Finnick, I'm not afraid.

Johanna's now the only one on the shore. She watches us play in the water with a sad expression on her face.

"Is Jo okay?" Finnick asks me as Caelum splashes around us.

"She's great actually. She helped me take care of Caelum, and she found someone. He lives in District 2 though."

"Maybe we should bring her boy toy here," Finnick says smiling. We both realize that she's scared. Scared of being pushing out of our family now that Finnick's home. But that's far from the truth.

"Johanna, Come in here. We'll keep you safe," I yell.

Johanna sighs, but she slowly enters the water. First up to her knees, then slowly to her waist. She has a nervous look on her face, so I run back and plead her on. Now it's my turn to help her. Because that's what victors do. We look out for each other.


End file.
